Just another weblog

And a few more

I am almost caught up, I promise! Another little project I finished this summer was a new dishcloth. Around the outside of the picture is a border of anchors, and a little sailboat in the middle. The pattern was a KAL on the monthly dishcloth yahoo group, but you can also find them at this blog. (The link will take you to the first post regarding the pattern. I think they are all there, on consecutive days.) The yarn was just Peaches and Creme.

Then there was this:

A quite interesting pattern called Circumnavigated Cardigan by Medrith J. Glover. It was published in Knitter’s Magazine 10, Spring 1988. The yarn is some just as old Wintuk, from back when it was still Sears Wintuk… I held 2 strands together. The pattern is more of a recipe, you can use any gauge, any yarn, and play with it as much as you want. I added the white details. It has pockets, but I would definitely take the length of the hand and add (even for a preteen boy) at least 2-3 inches to the length of the hand. They turn out rather smaller then I expected, when I took the length (from tallest finger to wrist) only. Measurement needed: Body (actual chest + 4”), Hand length (from wrist to fingertips + 2”), upper arm circumference. It would have been helpful if the pattern specified that at the beginning, because each time I had to wait for my son to get out of school to get the needed measurement. The saddle is a bit broad for a child, I think next time I would do it over 2-3 inches instead of the specified 4. And the pattern called for using a smaller needle for the ribbing, which I would not do again, and I would use 2×2 ribbing because I like the effect better. It is finished off with a heavy duty plastic black zipper, per request of the recipient. Hand sewn in.

I have also been part of an exchange, a scarf exchange. Since the recipient has actually received the scarf a while back, I can show it off too.

It is the Haruha scarf, knitted in Revel by Plymouth Yarns, a very soft yarn with a bit of a halo. It consists of 85% Alpaca and 15% Merino. The color way is Red Star. The pattern was pretty well written, the chart being of course the most helpful. After a couple of repeats I had the pattern memorized.

And last but not least, a cardigan for my youngest.

It is the famous Baby Surprise Jacket designed by Elizabeth Zimmerman. It was fun to make, and I kept trying to figure out how to fold it into a jacket, and each time I had to try several things. I actually made the child surprise jacket version, which has minor adjustments compared to the baby version. Personally, I think the sleeves are a bit narrow. I would definitely start with 10K next time, instead of the 9K. The yarn is Pinwheel, by Cascade Yarns. It has these gorgeous, long color runs. (The color is actually called Petunias.) It is 100% acrylic, and has huge skeins, 200grams (7oz) and 440 yards (400m)! I used just a little more then 1 skein for this toddler size. I think it worked out pretty well. The collar is a variation, and the pattern was not particularly clear how long it was supposed to be, or where it was supposed to be attached and how. I think I did not make it long enough, as it won’t lay flat. But my daughter loves the cardigan, so it was a project worthwhile the effort.